A small but satisfying taste of Walton Ford’s spectacular watercolors awaits at the Paul Kasmin Gallery in Chelsea until the 21st of June. His immense paintings have a powerful presence which exudes from the personality portrayed in the animals. Ford’s gift for successfully transferring an animal’s energy and narrative into a two-dimensional work of art is a unique and impressive feat. Each work includes great care to detail and impressive control over the medium. The monumental size of his paintings becomes even more notable when realizing how small and fine his brushstrokes are. Ford’s paintings are not only pleasing aesthetically, but they also touch on interesting human interactions with the natural world.

For example, The Graf Zeppelin (2014) is a touching painting of a baby gorilla named Susie sitting stoically in a Zeppelin headed for the United States. The gorilla’s eyes beautifully illustrate the animal’s sense of fear and confusion. Ford artfully channeled Susie’s thoughts and wrote a short sentiment from her perspective. The simple innocent tone taken on by Ford reveals the inner integrity of all animals and the role humans have played in tarnishing animals’ virtue. The allure of his technique matched with the sympathetic and personal background of the subjects makes for a moving experience.